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BusinessWeek writes that the massive increase in power of the TSA has caused many people to abandon flying altogether in favor of driving, no matter the distance. Consequently, increased deaths via car accidents are expected to be the “collateral damage” of such a change:

There is lethal collateral damage associated with all this spending on airline security—namely, the inconvenience of air travel is pushing more people onto the roads. Compare the dangers of air travel to those of driving. To make flying as dangerous as using a car, a four-plane disaster on the scale of 9/11 would have to occur every month, according to analysis published in the American Scientist. Researchers at Cornell University suggest that people switching from air to road transportation in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks led to an increase of 242 driving fatalities per month—which means that a lot more people died on the roads as an indirect result of 9/11 than died from being on the planes that terrible day. They also suggest that enhanced domestic baggage screening alone reduced passenger volume by about 5 percent in the five years after 9/11, and the substitution of driving for flying by those seeking to avoid security hassles over that period resulted in more than 100 road fatalities.

Texas Representative David Simpson led the charge last legislative session against the TSA by introducing multiple bills that, if they were passed, would have severely restricted the TSA’s ability to conduct unconstitutional searches in Texas.

In the upcoming primary, Simpson is running against total statist and pro-TSA candidate Tommy Merritt.

Merritt recently attempted to smear Rep. Simpson by sending a ridiculous mailout to the entire district accusing Simpson of supporting terrorists getting into airports. Thankfully, it completely backfired on Merritt. The hit piece not only has gone viral, it made the front page of Reddit with the title “Fear Mongering at its Best.”

Here is a photo of the mailout:

I guess we should be thanking Tommy for all the positive coverage he generated for David!

How many more incidents will it take for Congress to uphold their oath to the Constitution and stop the TSA from their unlawful and immoral searching procedures? From Brian New at KENS5 San Antonio:

U.S. Rep. Francisco Canseco said he was assaulted by a TSA agent at the San Antonio International Airport.

The Texas Congressman said the security agent went too far during a pat-down earlier this month.

“The agent was very aggressive in his pat-down, and he was patting me down where no one is supposed to go,” said Canseco. “It got very uncomfortable so I moved his hand away. That stopped everything and brought in supervisors and everyone else.”

Canseco told the KENS 5 I-Team the agent said he too was assaulted when Canseco pushed his hand away.According to TSA, neither man was cited…

TSA issued the I-Team the following statement about the incident:

“TSA incorporates random and unpredictable security measures throughout the airport. Once a passenger enters the screening process, they must complete it prior to continuing to a flight or secure area.”

Canseco said his experience illustrated changes in the airport security are needed.

“It is very important that Americans feel safe and secure as they travel in our nation’s airways – safe and secure from acts of terrorism and all that. But, I also think that TSA sometimes gets too aggressive, and it’s not just about me. It’s about every American that goes through those TSA scanners.”

Of all the many complaints about airport security and the TSA, one of the most common is that they make little distinction between plausible security threats and passengers unlikely to be doing anything wrong.

And a recent incident in Wichita, Kansas has reinforced that argument, as a four-year-old girl was apparently subjected to a humiliating ordeal after she hugged her grandmother while she was waiting in line.

The girl was accused of having a gun and declared a ‘high security threat’, while agents threatened to shut down the whole airport if she could not be calmed down.

When asked about the overbearing treatment the girl received, a TSA spokesman did not apologise and insisted that correct procedures had been followed.

It is a dark day when children are abused by the State, and perhaps it should be even darker that the people around this young child didn’t stand up for her.

Under the program launched last week, passengers on busses run by the Houston METRO system will be subjected to random questioning and searches from “counter-terrorism experts” hired by the Transportation Security Administration. Yes, the very same TSA that has become notorious for invasive pat-downs at airports across the country are opening up a new front in their war on privacy, and it’s on Houston’s public busses.

Riders of the Houston METRO won’t be waiting in line for security checkpoints like they do before boarding flights, though. According to the press release, authorities will “ride buses, perform random bag checks and conduct K-9 sweeps, as well as place uniformed and plainclothes officers at Transit Centers and rail platforms to detect, prevent and address latent criminal activity or behavior.” Both local police and undercover TSA agents will be carrying out the city-wide searches.

Perhaps if they wanted to keep us safe, they would check our bags for TSA agents. They seem to be a much bigger problem than the common criminals in the USA these days.

Shortly after September 11, 2001, the advertising firm Korey Kay & Partners pitched the Departments of State, Justice, and the newly created Homeland Security on an ad campaign to make travelers more aware of potential terrorists threats, “but none expressed interest in using the work,” Adweek reported in January 2002. “It will therefore remain a creative exercise.”

The feds would eventually change their minds about Kay’s “creative exercise.” Today, the slogan “If you see something, say something” graces mass transit hubs across the country as well as DHS-funded coffee cup sleeves. The slogan has outlived color-coded terror alerts, the Iraq War, the Yellowcake myth, Sadam Hussein, Osama bin Laden, and cigarette lighter bans. In honor of “If you see something, say something,” Reason presents you with a brief timeline of its conception and current use:

Allen Kay shares five text-only ads with Adweek. In addition to the slogan “If you see something, say something,” the ads read, “More catastrophic bombings and biological warfare are imminent terrorist threats. Not just for the United States, but the entire world. Let’s have no more surprises,” as well as “There are thousands of terrorists in this country. You can start to stop them. If you notice anything suspicious, report it. Immediately.” Kay tells Adweek that the Departments of Justice, State, and Homeland Security passed on his ad campaign…

SANFORD, Fla. — The Orlando Sanford International Airport is going to try to opt out of only using TSA agents for security screening.

The president of the airport said Tuesday that he would apply again to use private operators to screen passengers, using federal standards and oversight.

U.S. Rep. John Mica included a provision in federal aviation legislation that strengthens the ability of airports to use private screeners instead of only using agents with the Transportation Security Administration.

Currently, only 16 of the nation’s airports have opted out using only TSA agents.

One of America’s busiest airports, Orlando Sanford International, has announced it will opt out of using TSA workers to screen passengers, a move which threatens the highly unpopular federal agency’s role in other airports across the nation.

“The president of the airport said Tuesday that he would apply again to use private operators to screen passengers, using federal standards and oversight,” reports the Miami Herald.

With Sanford International having originally been prevented by the TSA from opting out back in November 2010 when the federal agency froze the ability for airports to use their own private screeners, a law passed by the Senate last month forces the TSA to reconsider applications.

Larry Dale hinted that the move was motivated by the innumerable horror stories passengers have told of their encounters with the TSA, noting that the change was designed to provide a more “customer friendly” operation.

The agency has been slow to reissue the guidelines on the the rule change, prompting Republican Representatives John Mica of Florida, Darrell Issa of California and Jason Chaffetz of Utah to press TSA head John Pistole to implement the mandate.

Orlando Sanford is in the top 30 busiest airports in the world, with large numbers of takeoffs and landings.

The TSA has been keen to downplay the opportunity for airports to dispense with their screeners, fearing a mass exodus that could undermine the justification for the agency’s continued existence, especially given the fact that its reputation has been repeatedly savaged by a number of scandals.

West Yellowstone Airport in Montana has already replaced its TSA screeners with private security. Bert Mooney Airport, also in Montana, is attempting to do the same.

However, when Texas lawmakers attempted to pass a bill last year that would have outlawed invasive TSA pat downs, the feds threatened to implement a blockade that would have imposed a de facto “no fly zone” over the lone star state.

Kicking out the incompetent, criminally-inclined and abusive TSA across the nation will not only encourage millions of peeved Americans to start flying again, pumping much needed money into the travel industry, it will also create thousands of new private sector jobs.

Could Florida be the first state to successfully resist the TSA’s egregious intrusions into our lives?

The Transportation Security Administration has demonstrated over and over again that they cannot be trusted with neither your personal liberty nor with your health. This infographic gives an excellent description of why and how they fail.

The Hill reports that Representative Chris Tuck (D) of Alaska has released a new public service announcement to his constituents warning them of the TSA’s egregious body scanners, and recommending that anyone subjected to the scanners opt-out. After all, “It is your right,” as Tuck says. Moreover, he advises travelers to contact airport police if the TSA touches you in any inappropriate manner.

“This is still a free country,” Tuck says. Is it free when you must subject yourself to either getting felt up or viewed naked as a condition to travel? As this woman found out in our hometown of Austin, Texas, you can only opt-out for so long before you get put in a cage.